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Early Childhood Policy Research Reports

Early Childhood Policy Research Reports

Research reports document and synthesize empirical research and often render policy recommendations on issues of importance to young children and their families. Research reports provide in-depth documentations of research processes, data, and findings, and are often published by an organization, think tank, or consortium. If you are looking for rich empirical evidence on a particular issue related to early childhood policy (ECP), we invite you to explore these resources.

Currently Reading

Gibbs, C. (2026, April 16). How does early childhood care and education affect U.S. families and workers, and which policies support child participation and boost the quality of care? Washington Center for Equitable Growth.
Junus, H., Smith, L., & Daro, A. (2026, March 31). Who stays in the early childhood programs? Stability starts with the workforce. Buffett Early Childhood Institute.
National Conference of State Legislatures. (2026, July 16). Childcare at a crossroads: A state legislative framework for strengthening childcare systems.
Sadowski, K. (2026). The static nature of the childcare workforce. Annenberg Institute, Brown University [EdWorkingPaper No. 26-1458].

Previously Shared

View Past Early Childhood Policy Research Reports

Aigner-Treworgy, S. Osborn, C., & Smith, L. (Nov 30 2023). Using Cost Modeling to Design New Solutions for Child Care. Bipartisan Policy Center: Washington, DC.
Allen, R., Bucher, E.Z., Meek, S., Alexander, B., Ameley-Quaye, A., Soto-Boykin, X., Blevins, D., & Cardona, M. (September, 2024). Reimagining state child care licensing: Improving the foundation for quality and equity in early care and education environments. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University.
Ascend (May 2022). Toward a more equitable tomorrow: A landscape analysis of early childhood leadership. Aspen Institute.
Bipartisan Policy Center (Aug 2023). Apprenticeships: Building a Strong Child Care Workforce Pipeline.
Bipartisan Policy Center (May 2023). The Illusion of Parent Choice: Lessons Learned from BPC’s Parent Survey Series.
BUILD Initiative (Jul 2022). Bright spots: Exemplary supports for emerging bilingual learners. BUILD Initiative: Washington, DC.
Cardona, M., Meek, S., Smith, L., Fuentes, Y. S., & Bucher, E. (Oct 2022). POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO GROW EHS-CCP IN STATES.
Child Care Aware of America. (2025). An uneven start: 2025 state funding for child care & early learning.
Coffey, M. & Khattar, R. (Sep 2022). The child care sector will continue to struggle hiring staff unless it creates good jobs. Center for American Progress.
Derrick-Mills, T., Wagner, L., & Litkowski, E. (2024). A logic model to support the study of local child care subsidy payment policies and practices [Research report]. The Urban Institute & The Center to Support Research and Evaluation Capacity of Child Care and Development Fund Lead Agencies.
First Five Years Fund. (2025, March 17). 2025 FFYF federal guide to early learning and care programs.
Friedman-Krauss, A. H., Barnett, W. S., Hodges, K. S., Garver, K. A., Weisenfeld, G. G., Duer, J., & Siegel, J. (2026). The state of preschool 2025: State preschool yearbook. National Institute for Early Education Research.
Friedman-Krauss, A. H., Barnett, W. S., & Nores, M. (2024). The state of preschool 2024: State preschool yearbook. National Institute for Early Education Research.
Gibbs, H., Johns, M., & Ahmed, O. (July 2022). A Strong Start in Life: How Public Health Policies Affect the Well-Being of Pregnancies and Families. Center for American Progress.
Grace, C., Thornburg, K., Keith, S. N., Altman, M., & Boyle, A. (2024, August 27). Head start report: Strengthening support for our youngest children.
Grunewald, R., Nunn, R., & Palmer, V. (2022). Examining teacher turnover in early care and education. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Hawley, T., Bezark, M., Van Valkenburgh, S. (December 2025). Early Learning Shortchanged: Creating a Record of Public Investments in Early Care and Education. Chicago: Center for Early Learning Funding Equity, Northern Illinois University.
Kaneko, M., Lombardi, J., & Weisz, A. (2020, October). Support programs for home-based child care: A global study. Spring Impact & Echidna Giving.
Kyle DeMeo Cook, Kevin Ferreira van Leer, Jill Gandhi, Lisa Kuh. (2025). What's missing? A multi-method approach to gaining a fuller understanding of early care and education decision-making. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Volume 70.
Melnick, H., Garcia, E., & Leung-Gagné, M. (Aug 2022). Building a well-qualified transitional kindergarten workforce in California: Needs and opportunities. Learning Policy Institute.
Miller, K., & Schulman, K. (Apr 2022). Sustaining family, friend, and neighbor child care beyond the pandemic: Guidance and state models. National Women’s Law Center.
Minoff, E., & Coccia, A. (2024, March). Strategies to compensate unpaid caregivers: A policy scan. Center for the Study of Social Policy.
Muruvi, W., Powell, A., Kim, Y., Copeman Petig, A., & Austin, L.J.E. (2024). The Professional Well-Being of Early Educators in California: Early Educator Well-Being Series. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley.
New America (Jan 2023). Supporting Linguistically Diverse Family Child Care Providers. Washington, DC.
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center. (2024, October 22). 2024 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap. Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Vanderbilt University.
Sandstrom, H., Kuhns, K., & Drukker, D. (2024). Turnover Patterns among Early Head Start Teachers and Home Visitors: A Snapshot before and after the Height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Urban Institute.
Schilder, D., Doyle, E., Wagner, L., DelGrosso, T., & Kigera, K. (2025). Child care subsidy policies and practices in the District of Columbia: Perspectives about innovations and opportunities [Policy report]. The Urban Institute.
Schneider, A. & Gibbs, H. (Dec 2022). Disparities in Housing, Health Care, Child Care, and Economic Security Affect Babies for Life. Center for American Progress.
Schneider, A. & Gibbs, H. (Jun 2023). Strengthening Early Childhood Health, Housing, Education, and Economic Well-Being Through Holistic Public Policy. Center for American Progress.
Showers, B., Christensen Gee, L., Allen, O., Weinstock, J., & Mendoza, M. (2025). State strategies for sustained investment in kids: A landscape of dedicated funding. Children’s Funding Project.
Silloway, T., & Szrom, J. (Jun 2022). Strengthening Families with Infants and Toddlers: A Policy Framework for States – Executive Summary. ZERO TO THREE: Washington, DC. ZERO TO THREE: Washington, DC.
Smith, L. K., & Osborn, C. (2024). Top-Down, bottom-up: Building a state child care center workforce. Bipartisan Policy Center.
Smith, L.K., Reef, G., Belcher-Badal, K., & Owen, R. (2024). In The Shadows: What We Know, Don’t Know, and Should Know About the Early Childhood Workforce. Bipartisan Policy Center.
Walsh, Smith, & Mercado (Jan 2023). Revisiting Integrated Efficient Early Care and Education Systems. Bipartisan Policy Center: Washington, DC.
Wilkinson, A., Laurore, J., Maxfield, E., Gross, E., Daily., S., & Keating, K. (2021, May 12). Racism creates inequities in maternal and child health, even before birth. Child Trends.
Zero to Three (Nov 2022). Social Determinants of Health for Infants and Toddlers.
Zero to Three (May 2022). State of babies yearbook 2022.
Zero to Three, CLASP (Feb 2022). Pathways to prosperity: Report from a convening on economic security for families with infants and toddlers.

Recommended Readings From Our Advisory Committee

Aisha Ray,
ECPIHE Advisory Committee Member

BUILD Initiative. (2020, May). Project hope evaluation and documentation findings.

Linda K. Smith,
ECPIHE Advisory Committee Member

Smith, L. & McHenry, K. (2021). A cohesive vision for child care, head start, and pre-k: Making early investments that truly transform the early child care and education system. Bipartisan policy center.

Linda K. Smith,
ECPIHE Advisory Committee Member

Smith, L., Bagley, A., & Wolters, B. (2020). Child care in 25 states: What we know and don’t know: Quantifying the supply of, potential need for, and gaps in child care across the country. Bipartisan policy center.

Albert Wat,
ECPIHE Advisory Committee Member

Alliance for Early Success. (2020, September). Build stronger: A child care policy roadmap for transforming our nation’s child care system.

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